Local Editor

Fuel shortages in war-torn Yemen could cause more deaths than the continuing conflict, which rages on three days after the start of a United Nations [UN]-declared humanitarian truce, the international aid agency Oxfam said in a press release on Tuesday.

The lack of fuel in Yemen, caused by the continuing conflict and restrictions of imports, could ultimately be responsible for even more deaths than the fighting in the country, Oxfam warned.

Saudi Arabia has imposed a near total blockade on a country heavily reliant on imports.
Since March, a Saudi-led coalition backed by the United States has been carrying out airstrikes against Yemen. The airstrikes have not been authorized by the UN.

A week-long pause in the fighting was meant to have started on Saturday to allow aid deliveries, but the Saudi-led air strikes have persisted.

Fuel shortages have hit water supplies, food deliveries and health services for the 84 percent of Yemenis in need of aid, the international agency said.

Since March, restrictions on imports by a Saudi-led coalition have reduced the amount of fuel in Yemen to only 20 percent of what is needed, Oxfam further said. 

"Supplies of food and medicine have been intermittently allowed into Yemen, but they are insufficient to address the scale of the crisis. Too often supplies remain stuck in warehouses and ports due to the lack of fuel", it added. 

Philippe Clerc, Oxfam Country Director in Yemen said: "In Yemen, fuel is critical. Without adequate supplies of it, water pumps no longer operate, and the limited quantities of food and medicine in Yemen’s main ports and warehouses spoil, as they can’t be transported to the 21 million people in need of aid."

Despite the announcement of a 6-day humanitarian ceasefire in Yemen that began on Friday, the Saudi-led coalition is still restricting imports into the country.

Clerc added: "After more than 100 days of fighting, people in Yemen need a sustained flow of supplies into the country, and a permanent ceasefire to allow fuel and other supplies to be moved around, otherwise, many more people will die unnecessarily. Without urgent action, shortages could kill more people than bullets or bombs."

Oxfam said that, "Due to the fuel shortages, water authorities are unable to pump clean water, and 20 million people - 80 percent of the population- are now in need of safe water, while food supplies have been cut further".

"As a result, at least 1.8 million children are now at risk of diarrhoea, and nearly 400,000 children could become severely malnourished", the organization said. 

Oxfam added that, "At least 500 pregnant women will face an increased risk of dying during childbirth, as shortage of fuel means that hospitals and maternity wards are shut due to lack of power, clean water and medical supplies". 

In areas where Oxfam operates, staff report that fuel prices have quadrupled, and the price of wheat has risen by as much as 400 times as commodities become scarce and the costs of transporting them inland, processing and storing them spiral. The cost of staple food items is now well beyond the reach of millions of Yemenis. Many have received no income for the third month in a row as most banks and post offices remain closed.

In specific areas of Taiz, Aden, Lahj and other cities in Yemen, "lack of fuel means that millions can’t flee to safety and they’re trapped on the frontlines in a health disaster zone", Oxfam added. 

According to Clerc: "People in Yemen are suffering the catastrophic combination of warplanes above, fighting on the ground, and a blockade all around. The country urgently needs a permanent ceasefire and a lifting of restrictions on imports. Otherwise, this ever deepening, man-made and totally avoidable humanitarian crisis will drain the country of the few resources it has and push people to the edge."